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Colo. media shield law bill gets first hearing

DENVER — A bill to increase legal protections for reporters and their sources in Colorado is up for an initial vote.

The bill from Colorado Springs Republican Sen. Bernie Herpin would make it harder for courts to compel reporters to reveal sources. It would also delete a provision in Colorado law that says efforts to obtain information for a case can outweigh First Amendment interests.

Herpin says he brought the proposal forward because of the case of New York-based Fox News reporter Jana Winter, who was pressured to divulge who gave her information about the 2012 Aurora theater shootings.

A New York court ruled in December that Winter was protected by that state’s shield law.

The Colorado Legislature’s Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday afternoon.